The mounting disclosed in DE-AS No. 1 506 505 shows the driven wheel being joined irrotationally to the shaft via a serration. The serration must transfer torques and wheel pressures and is thus subject to alternating stress conditions. As the distance between the rails of the crane track may differ in factory buildings, the crane track must be adjustable. The serration mentioned must be manufactured very precisely to make such track adjustment possible, and this is expensive. Also known are adapter springs, but they are not a complete solution, taking into consideration the reversing torque. Crane wheels are often subject to extraordinary wear at the bearing surfaces and rims and must, therefore, be easily replaced. If the shaft which is not exposed to wear and tear, is not to be replaced when changing a wheel, the wheel must be easily detachable from the shaft. For this reason, a permanent, i.e., non-detachable contraction joint between wheel and shaft is not recommended either.
It is the object of the invention to form the mounting of a crane wheel so that the wheel is easily replaced and the distances between spaced rails on which the wheels ride may be adjusted, while still guaranteeing a perfect power transmitting and non-rotational connection between shaft and wheel. The safe transmittal of horizontal forces is also an object of this invention. This is done by attaching the wheel to the shaft by means of an oil pressure band and by arranging spacer discs between the antifriction bearings and the spring rings. The oil pressure band may be removed at any time by removing oil pressure to the connecting surfaces so that the wheel may be easily separated from the shaft. When altering the track, some of the spacer discs are removed from one side of the wheel and added on the other side without having to totally remove the driven wheel by fully releasing the oil pressure from the oil pressure band. If the two bushings of a wheel are further apart than the width of the wheel, due to the great width of the beam in which they are attached, the invention provides spacer rings which are located between the wheel and the roller bearings. These are made of light metal and may project into annular or ring shaped grooves of the wheel and are, therefore, retained during assembly. Using light metal has the advantage that it will not lead to corrosion (seizing) between the spacer ring and the steel of the wheel or the roller bearing. The spacer rings also transfer axial forces.
In further developments of the invention, the end of the shaft opposite the wheel, is provided with a multi-wedge serration or teeth for a sliding yet tightly engaging fit with the teeth of a driving gear located on the drive shaft of a motor.
An oil duct passes through the shaft starting at the end of the shaft opposite the teeth, i.e., the multi-wedge serration and ending in a shaft cavity in the area of the wheel center. Oil is pressed through this oil duct during assembly and disassembly of the wheel to expand the wheel bore hole. An oil screw is inserted into the outer end of the oil duct to provide the oil press.
To facilitate assembly and disassembly, the shaft is furthermore in the shape of a truncated cone tapered toward the end of the shaft opposite the end provided with the multi-wedge serrations or teeth, and the bore hole of the wheel matches this. The pitch of the truncated cone and bore hole amounts to about 1:10 to 1:50. A pressure set screw may be threaded into the bore hole of the wheel to ensure the pressing of a wheel safety plate against the wheel to thereby retain the wheel on the shaft if the pitch of the cone is steep. The bore hole of the wheel may have a recess in the center area in order to provide a perfect fit between wheel and shaft. Such a recess may, of course, also be present on the shaft in the central area of the wheel. The recess may have a depth of about 1 mm. In order to prevent compression of the edges when the two bushings of a wheel bearing are not properly aligned, the antifriction bearings may have a rocking suspension.